Variable refresh rate, or VRR, compatibility for PlayStation 5 on all supported televisions was only recently implemented by Sony. Screen tearing can be significantly reduced and overall gameplay smoothness improved thanks to this technology, which dynamically synchronises the refresh rate of the television or monitor to the console’s frame rate output. However, Sony might now be aiming to enhance its frame rate technological stack even further. A new Sony patent application suggests that the VRR support for the PlayStation 5 may eventually need to be updated. A unique frame rate correction method that makes use of scanouts to prevent any possible frame dips in strenuous gameplay segments is described in one of the company’s most recent patent applications. The procedure entails scanning over the rendered frames produced by the GPU and making adjustments for deviations from the desired target frame rate. Furthermore, the disclosed procedure is not entirely different to NVIDIA’s proprietary G-Sync monitor technology since it uses frame buffers to carry out this task. The mentioned scanout compensation method is essentially situated between numerous frame buffer instances, which increases the possibility of adding latency to a game that may already be having trouble running smoothly. However, according to reports, Sony could release 30 million PS5 consoles in 2023, and the corporation is not expected to update its top-tier console with a failed frame compensation capability. Probabilities are good that any potential latency issues will have already been resolved if and when anything stems from this specific patent. However, the implementation of this VRR system is not expected soon enough. In light of the gaming industry’s rapid technological advancements that have improved performance, it is obvious that console manufacturers like Sony must find ways to raise supported frame rates in order to compete with other platforms.
